Written by

Miles Sweeney

The city has tapped former Greene County Judge Miles Sweeney to lead a citizen task force that will discuss whether action is needed to protect local gay and transgender residents from discrimination.

Sweeney, who retired in 2007 after 23 years on the bench, will serve as the non-voting chair of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Citizens Task Force.

He’s scheduled to speak briefly at a 2 p.m. news conference today during which the city will announce the names of eight members of the task force nominated by council members. Others interested in serving on the task force have until Friday to apply for the remaining seven positions.

Mayor Bob Stephens said Sweeney’s experience and temperament made him an easy choice to lead the group.

“He’s got an impeccable reputation around the community,” Stephens said Wednesday. “The fact that he’s a former judge lends a gravitas to the task force. And he’s a specialist in arbitration — getting two people who are disagreeing on an issue to some kind of agreement.”

The topic the task force will study is among the most controversial City Council has tackled in recent years.

A proposal to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of characteristics in the city’s non-discrimination ordinance drew capacity crowds and dozens of speakers to a series of public hearings in July and August.

Supporters said the ordinance is needed to prevent businesses and landlords from denying jobs, housing and services to people because they are gay or transgender. Opponents argued the ordinance would prevent them from operating businesses according to their religious views.

The council opted to table the issue until a task force could be created to study the issue in more detail.

The 15-member task force is expected to convene in January and meet for about six months before delivering its recommendations to the council. The meetings will be open to the public.

“What we want is something the community as a whole can live with,” Stephens said, adding that the council’s “hope is that the membership will be a little broader-based than what we were hearing at the public hearing.”

The eight task force members to be announced this afternoon were chosen by individual City Council members. The council’s Public Involvement Committee will meet at noon Monday to choose another seven members and two alternates from members of the public who applied.

The city will continue taking applications until noon Friday, Stephens said, “So if anybody’s out there thinking about it, they need to get the application in.”